What are the things that help me improved my tennis game?

I know a lot of beginners like me are having a hard time playing the wonderful sport of tennis. Of course, as a newbie, you can’t expect to hit all the shots and to have good techniques early on. I got frustrated a lot when I almost can’t hit a single shot.

There are also tons of equipment that you need to buy and demo before you join a practice match. The information on the internet can overwhelm beginners and they might have an analysis paralysis in the end.

That is why I created this article to help newbies to have an easier time finding what’s the best racquet to choose, books to read, etc. So, without further ado, I will list my top tips on how to improve on tennis.

1. Tennis Racquet! First on the list is your choice of racquet. Generally speaking, you may want to choose a not so expensive racquet because you may want to change it later on as you grow. For me, I opt to chose the Head Ti.S6 racquet. I believed it is the best tennis racquet for beginners today. It is lightweight, has a large head size and it has tons of power. Plus, it is very affordable.

2. Books! Reading books are a great way to learn techniques and the basics of the sport. When I started out, I read a bunch of useless books that has hundreds of pages of fluff content. Today I am only reading 3 books that will surely help you improve. My personal favorite is the “Inner Game of Tennis: The Classic Guide to the Mental Side of Peak Performance.

It’s a truly classic book that talks about the mental aspect of the game and how can you apply them not just on tennis but also on your everyday life.

3. Videos! Like books, watching videos to learn are fantastic way to improve your skills. One of my favorite Youtube channels to watch is the Tennis Channel Academy. They have lots of tutorials from basic to advanced techniques. Search them on Youtube and I am sure that you will love them too.

4. Practice Of course, you will not learn all those things you read and watched if you don’t take action. Practice is the most essential part of improving your skills. Racquets can help you but doing action and improving your technique is the most important part of all.

You can practice all by yourself by hitting the wall. You can also practice with your friends or families (much better!) or you can by a tennis ball machine (expensive as hell!). Practicing everyday even if for just half an hour is much better than practicing once or twice a week for hours. But if you can do both, you will learn quickly.

You may also hire a tennis coach or join a club if you are really serious about playing and if you have the budget for them.

5. Confidence and mental toughness! Once you’ve been able to hit most of your shots and gained more experience, they can build your confidence. Maybe you now have a stronger serve, able to control the ball and have much better hand-eye coordination. All these things will boost your confidence and you will definitely be a better tennis player.

Another important aspect is the mental toughness! This is specially true among those players who are competing. You should build your mental toughness because it can greatly help you succeed. There are lots of books and guides on how to build mental toughness but as I’ve said earlier, the Inner Game of Tennis: The Classic Guide to the Mental Side of Peak Performance book greatly helped me achieved it.

Overall, playing tennis is not easy but it is very rewarding. It will challenge you physically, emotionally and mentally. But these are the things that will shape you. And lastly, practice is the key to find what type of player you are.